Lily Tomlin
Biography
Lily Tomlin is an American comedian and actress who began in stand-up and sketch work before moving to stage and screen. Born in Detroit, she got her break on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, where she appeared from 1969 to 1973 and created characters such as Ernestine and Edith Ann. She made her film debut in Robert Altman's Nashville (1975), earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and The Late Show (1977) brought her the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Her other films include 9 to 5 (1980), All of Me (1984), I Heart Huckabees (2004), A Prairie Home Companion (2006) and Grandma (2015), and she voiced Aunt May in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). She won a Tony for the one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe and starred with Jane Fonda in Grace and Frankie from 2015 to 2022. Her awards include seven Emmys, two Tonys and a Grammy.
87years old
Turns 88 on September 1in 321 days
- Born Detroit
- Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
- Mary Jean Tomlin (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 37
- Career span
- 47 years1977 to 2024
Genres
- Comedy65%, 24 films
- Documentary32%, 12 films
- Drama27%, 10 films
- Biography11%, 4 films
- Adventure8%, 3 films
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Did you know?!
A role that slipped away
Tomlin declined a $500,000 offer from AT&T in 1970 to play Ernestine in a commercial, explaining that accepting it would compromise her artistic integrity.
A first
Tomlin's first comedy album, This Is a Recording, appeared on Polydor Records in March 1971 and included Ernestine's phone run-ins with customers. It reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 200, the best chart position ever for a solo comedienne, and won her a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording.
First role
Tomlin's Broadway debut came in March 1977 with the solo show Appearing Nitely, staged at the Biltmore Theatre. She wrote and directed it with Jane Wagner, and earned a Special Tony Award for the production.
Big break
In 1969, Tomlin became part of NBC's sketch comedy Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, signed to take over for Judy Carne, who was leaving. On that already established program, she was an instant success.
Early training
Tomlin originally studied biology at Wayne State University, but after auditioning for a play she changed her major and later continued studying acting at the HB Studio.
Lily Tomlin movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse2018 Action, Adventure, Animationas Aunt Mayvoice
IMDb rating 8.4817K votes
Most often with
David O. Russell directed two of these films, Robert Altman two and Paul Weitz two. Jane Fonda appears in seven of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Jane Fonda's page
Dolly Parton's page
Whoopi Goldberg's page
Dabney Coleman's page
Nicolas Cage's page
Woody Harrelson's page
All films by David O. Russell
All films by Robert Altman
Also two films together22 more actors
- Meryl StreepA Prairie Home Companion (2006) and The Ant Bully (2006)
- Ned BeattyThe Walker (2007) and The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
- Steve MartinThe Pink Panther 2 (2009) and All of Me (1984)
- Chevy ChaseRichard Pryor: Omit the Logic (2013) and Orange County (2002)
- Sally KirklandFeminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018) and The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
- Fred WardShort Cuts (1993) and Big Business (1988)
- David Ogden StiersKrippendorf's Tribe (1998) and Shadows and Fog (1991)
- Emily MortimerThe Pink Panther 2 (2009) and The Kid (2000)
- MadonnaBlue in the Face (1995) and Shadows and Fog (1991)
- Victor ArgoBlue in the Face (1995) and Shadows and Fog (1991)
- Rita Moreno80 for Brady (2023) and Still Working 9 to 5 (2022)
- Dana IveyOrange County (2002) and The Kid (2000)
- Daniel von BargenThe Kid (2000) and Shadows and Fog (1991)
- Tig NotaroOutstanding: A Comedy Revolution (2024) and Why We Laugh: Funny Women (2013)
- Sandra BernhardOutstanding: A Comedy Revolution (2024) and Why We Laugh: Funny Women (2013)
- Elizabeth WilsonThe Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) and Nine to Five (1980)
- Harry Hamlin80 for Brady (2023) and The Celluloid Closet (1995)
- Mary Tyler MooreInequality for All (2013) and Flirting with Disaster (1996)
- Sarah BurnsMoving On (2023) and Grandma (2015)
- Mike DouglasRichard Pryor: Omit the Logic (2013) and The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
- Mo ZelofMoving On (2023) and Grandma (2015)
- Roxanna Bonilla-GianniniStill Working 9 to 5 (2022) and Nine to Five (1980)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Lily Tomlin's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$980 million
19 of the 36 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 36 films: 19 worldwide figure; 8 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 7 figure not found.
- 19Worldwide figure
- 8US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 7Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 89% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$395M40.3% of the total
- 2$110M11.3% of the total
- 3$103M10.5% of the total
- 4$76M7.7% of the total
- 5$57M5.9% of the total
- 6$55M5.6% of the total
- 7$43M4.4% of the total
- 8$36M3.7% of the total
$103 millionfrom the other 11 films with a worldwide figure, 11% of the total
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1972 to 2017, six of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 2013 | Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | An Apology to Elephants | Won |
| 1981 | Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series | Won | |
| SAG Awards | |||
| 2017 | Life Achievement Award | Won | |
| Berlin Film Festival | |||
| 1977 | Silver Bear for Best Actress | Won | |
| Tony Awards | |||
| 1986 | Best Actress in a Play | The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe | Won |
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 1972 | Best Comedy Album | This Is a Recording | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2014 | Kennedy Center Honors | Won | |
| 2003 | Lucy Award | Won | |
| 2003 | Mark Twain Prize for American Humor | Won | |
| 1998 | Michigan Women's Hall of Fame | Won | |
| 1992 | Crystal Award | Won | |
| 1977 | Special Tony Award | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.